Resilient attachment for skis

ABSTRACT

A resilient attachment for skis in which the resilient function of the attachment is obtained by means of a resilient assembly including a spring that ensures safety locking of the attachment. One of the ends of the spring receives, either directly or not, the mechanical action that ensures resiliency and the other end acts on the locking device of the attachment.

United States Patent [191 Solomon [111 3, 23,955 1 July l6, 1974 RESILIENT ATTACHMENT FOR SKIS Georges P. J. Solomon, 34, Avenue de Laverchy Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France Filed: Jan. 19, 1970 Appl. N0.: 8,155

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 695,153, Jan. 2, 1968, Pat. No. 3,617,069.

Inventor:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 4, 1967 France 67.89992 Int. Cl .L A63c 9/00 Field of Search 280/l1.35 T

3,027,173 3/1962 Beyl 280/1135 T US. Cl 280/1135 T 3,149,854 9/1964 Marker 280/1135 T FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 246,628 4/1966 Austria 280/1135 T Primary ExaminerRobert R. Song Attorney, Agent, or FirmRoger Goudreau A resilient attachment for skis in which the resilient function of the attachment is obtained by means of a resilient assembly including a spring that ensures ABSTRACT safety locking of the attachment. One of the ends of the spring receives, either directly or not, the mechanical action that ensures resiliency and the other end acts on the locking device of the attachment.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL 1 61974 SHEU 1 BF 2 PATENTEDJUL 1 61974 sum 2 0P2 Fig.4

Fig. 5

61 67 so 62 e3 RESILIENT AT'IACHMENT FOR SKIS This application is a division of US. Pat. application Ser. No. 695,153 filed Jan. 2, 1968 and now US. Pat. No. 3,617,069, issued Nov. 2, 1971 The present invention relates to improvements in resilient attachment for skis.

Resilient attachment for skis are known in which the resilient function is obtained by means of a spring or the like arranged in the kinematic chain of the mechanism. This arrangement most often requires an important volume that leads to bulky attachments.

The present invention proposes to overcome these disadvantages in a simple and efficient manner.

According to the invention, the resilient function of the attachment is obtained by means of a plurality of resilient elements, for instance a spring that allows safety locking and in which one end receives, either directly or not, the mechanical action that provides resiliencyand the other end acts on the locking device of the attachment, for instance by pressing a ball into an appropriate housing.

The invention will besides be better understood by the description that follows having reference to the appended drawings illustrating, by way of non-limitative examples, the preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are plan views, partly in cross-section, of an attachment according to the invention shown in locking and releasing positions respectively;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, partly in cross-section, of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a rearward attachment made according to the invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of two other embodiments of rear attachments made according to the invention.

In FIG. 1, the attachment 1 is held in locked condition by means of a piston 2 that a spring 3 presses against a flat surface of the articulation or pivot pin 6 of the said attachment. The opposite end of the spring does not bear against a stationary or mobile adjusting element but against a slidable sleeve or piston 7, itself bearing against a boss 8 of the jaw 9, the said jaw articulated or pivoted to the attachment by an axle pin 10.

During torsion stresses of the users boot along arrow 16 of FIG. 2, for instance, the jaw 9 through boss 8 pushes the sleeve or piston 7 to compress spring 3; if the torsion ceases, the reversibility of the aforesaid movements brings the jaw back into the position of FIG. 1. On the contrary, if the torsion forces increase, the said jaw drives the attachment 1 after the boss 8 has come against one or the other of the lateral walls of the bore in which the piston or sleeve 7 slides, the said attachment 1 only opening when the forces are sufficiently large to push the piston 2 back.

Because the compression force of the spring against the locking element is increased due to its precompression resulting from the prior rotation of the jaw 9, a spring of relatively small dimensions can be used.

In FIG. 3, the jaw 20 as well as a locking member or crank 21 pivots on an axle pin 22 having a flat surface against which a piston 23 abuts, the latter being pressed by a spring 26 also pressing a ball 27 into a ball recess 28 of the said locking member or crank 21. Under abnormal torsion forces, the jaw-locking member assembly may resiliently oscillate about the axle 22 by pushing piston 23 slightly back. If the forces increase, the locking member or crank 21 comes in abutment, through slot 29, against a stationary lug 30 and, in order to obtain release, the jaw must overcome the locking action of the ball 27.

In FIG. 4, a boot 31 is securely held on a ski 32 by a jaw 33 articulated on an axle 36 solid with a support 37. A crank or locking member 38 also pivots on axle 36. The said jaw may resiliently move by compressinga spring 39 of the locking system. If the forces increase, the crank or locking member 38 is driven by the jaw and releases the locking system which, in this instance, is a ball 40 pressed by the said spring 39. A screw 41 limits the movements of the jaw and allows its adjustment.

FIG. 5 only differentiates from FIG. 4 in that the jaw 46 does not act directly on the spring 47 but through a cam ramp 48 pushing a ball 49 back, a second ball 50 serving to lock the locking member or crank 51 in relation to its support 52. In FIG. 5 also, a screw 53 serves to limit and adjust the said jaw.

FIG. 6 is an adaptation of the mechanism described in FIG. 3 to a rear attachment. The resilient stroke is obtained by pressing a piston back, jaw 61 driving a locking member or crank 62 through the locking of a ball 63. When the said locking member or crank comes against a lug 66 of a support 67, the jaw must overcome the locking action of the ball in order to be released. Y 1

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby but should only be construed from the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A resilient'attachment for holding one end of a boot onto a ski and to allow limited movement of the boot under a predetermined force applied by the skier and complete release of said boot from the attachment upon application of a force greater than said predetermined force, said attachment comprising: a pivot pin rigid with said ski; a jaw pivotally mounted on said pivot pin, said jaw being adapted for holding one end of said boot and having a rearwardly extending part with a hole radially extending from said pivot pin to the end of said part, said hole containing a spring means mountedbetween a pushing member coacting with a cam provided on said pivot pin and a ball protruding at the end of said hole and pressed by said spring means in a ball recess provided on(;) a locking member pivotally mounted on said pivot pin (and having a ball recess in which said ball is pressed by said spring means), said locking memberand said jaw being able to resiliently oscillate together around said pivot pin against the action of said spring means as long as said ball is pressed in said ball recess; and a lug rigid with said ski against which said locking member is adapted to come into abutment after a limited movement of said locking member and said jaw around said pivot pin, said jaw being able to continue alone its pivoting motion around said pivot pin by overcoming the locking action of the ball when an increasing force is applied on said jaw in order to obtain the release of the latter.

2. A resilient attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking member has an arcuate portion centered on said pivot pin and facing the end of the rearwardly extending part of the jaw, said ball recess being provided in said arcuate portion.

3. A resilient attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pivot pin is fixed on a support base rigid with the ski. I

4. A resilient attachment for holding one end of a boot on a ski and to allow limited movement of the boot under a predetermined force applied by the skier and complete release of said boot from the attachment upon application of a force greater than said predetermined force, said attachment comprising: a pivot pin rigid with said ski, said pivot pin having a flat surface; a jaw pivotally mounted on said pivot pin, said jaw being adapted for holding one end of said boot and having a rearwardly extending part with a hole radially expending from said pivot pin to the end of said part, said hole containing a spring means mounted between said pivot pin and ball protruding at one end of said hole; a piston located into said hole of the rearwardly extending part of said jaw between said flat surface and said spring means; a locking member pivotally mounted on said pivot pin and having a ball recess in which said ball is pressed by said spring means; and a lug rigid with said ski against which said locking member is adapted to come into abutment after a limited movement of said locking member around said pivot pin. 

1. A resilient attachment for holding one end of a boot onto a ski and to allow limited movement of the boot under a predetermined force applied by the skier and complete release of said boot from the attachment upon application of a force greater than said predetermined force, said attachment comprising: a pivot pin rigid with said ski; a jaw pivotally mounted on said pivot pin, said jaw being adapted for holding one end of said boot and having a rearwardly extending part with a hole radially extending from said pivot pin to the end of said part, said hole containing a spring means mounted between a pushing member coacting with a cam provided on said pivot pin and a ball protruding at the end of said hole and pressed by said spring means in a ball recess provided on(;) a locking member pivotally mounted on said pivot pin (and having a ball recess in which said ball is pressed by said spring means), said locking member and said jaw being able to resiliently oscillate together around said pivot pin against the action of said spring means as long as said ball is pressed in said ball recess; and a lug rigid with said ski against which said locking member is adapted to come into abutment after a limited movement of said locking member and said jaw around said pivot pin, said jaw being able to continue alone its pivoting motion around said pivot pin by overcoming the locking action of the ball when an increasing force is applied on said jaw in order to obtain the release of the latter.
 2. A resilient attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said locking member has an arcuate portion centered on said pivot pin and facing the end of the rearwardly extending part of the jaw, said ball recess being provided in said arcuate portion.
 3. A resilient attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pivot pin is fixed on a support base rigid with the ski.
 4. A resilient attachment for holding one end of a boot on a ski and to allow limited movement of the boot under a predetermined force applied by the skier and complete release of said boot from the attachment upon application of a force greater than said predeteRmined force, said attachment comprising: a pivot pin rigid with said ski, said pivot pin having a flat surface; a jaw pivotally mounted on said pivot pin, said jaw being adapted for holding one end of said boot and having a rearwardly extending part with a hole radially expending from said pivot pin to the end of said part, said hole containing a spring means mounted between said pivot pin and ball protruding at one end of said hole; a piston located into said hole of the rearwardly extending part of said jaw between said flat surface and said spring means; a locking member pivotally mounted on said pivot pin and having a ball recess in which said ball is pressed by said spring means; and a lug rigid with said ski against which said locking member is adapted to come into abutment after a limited movement of said locking member around said pivot pin. 